Greek mythology is full of stories of people considered great heroes for their extraordinary qualities. Although Greek heroes fight bravely to gain honor and glory, their flaws can harm them or their loved ones. While in Homer's Iliad, Achilles is depicted as mean, proud and vengeful. In Virgil's Aeneid, the impeccable epic hero Aeneas is depicted as passionate, faithful to his duty, and wise. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the Iliad, the tragic hero Achilles is a dynamic character. Throughout the story, Achilles' actions are controlled by his emotions, particularly his anger. First, Achilles tries to persuade King Agamemnon to return Chryseis to her father. Achilles' act indicates that he wants to protect the Greeks from the plague and conciliate the god Apollo. When Agamemnon forcibly takes Achilles' prize from him, Achilles feels dishonored and withdraws from the Trojan War. Achilles' childish actions and decisions show how mean he is. In book 1, Homer shows that Achilles' abstention from fighting implies that he does not care about the Trojan War nor the Greek triumph when he tells Agamemnon that "[h]om all followed him, to please him, to fight for [him]" ( Homer, 82.) Second, Achilles is characterized as proud. He asks his caring mother, Thetis, to implore Zeus to "give the upper hand to the Trojans, until the Achaeans respect [her] son" (Homer, 568–69). ). Achilles' request shows that he wants to show Agamemnon that he has lost a great warrior when he swears "the time will come when all the sons of Achaias will miss [him], a time when, in anguish, [he will miss] the [his] help" (Homer, 263–266). Because of Achilles' arrogance, he also loses his best friend Patroclus. Finally, in book 18, after learning of Patroclus' death, "A black cloud of grief engulfed Achilles" (Homer, 27). His uncontrollable anger drives him to take revenge on Hector. In book 18, Achilles' "heart has no desire to continue living, to continue living among men, unless Hector comes first struck by [his] spear, losing his life" (Homer, 112–15). His violence towards his body underlines the great pain he feels in his broken heart. However, in the Aeneid, Aeneas is depicted as a perfect hero who obeys the gods and accepts his destiny. First and foremost, Aeneas is a passionate hero, as he is determined to achieve his goal: founding the Roman Empire. Aeneas is wise because he thinks long term. Rather than listen to his heart, he prefers to use his mind and listen to the gods, because they know what is right for his future. Second, Aeneas dedicates his life to his duty, despite the temptations he encounters on the journey. When Aeneas and Dido fall in love, Aeneas forgets his duty. Aeneas says: “if destinies had left him free to live his life” (Aeneid, 139). This means that he is happy and feels comfortable with her, but his happiness does not last long. When a messenger reminds him of his responsibility in book 4, he is “truly overwhelmed by the vision” and “longs to leave, to abandon this land he loves” (Aeneid, 137). Finally, the hero Aeneas is portrayed as a mature hero. He neither complains about his duty nor shows hesitation in taking action. Virgil dedicates a long text to describing Dido's intense emotions when she learns that Aeneas is leaving her; however, Aeneas does not comfort her or ease her pain. Aeneas reacts like a wise hero because “he is deaf to all appeals. He does not give up” (Aeneid, 439), therefore he does not allow Dido to change her mind by staying. Enea's priorities are family, the city and.